


A New Home

by Crazy_Pairing_Person



Category: The Littlest Pet Shop
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/F, Gen, LMAO, M/M, Most of the couples are probably going to be implied rather than outright stated tbh, Past relationships get mentioned but they're not tagged, Prophecy, Racism, also I forgot to tag Minka and Buttercream at first, not even the ships that ARE tagged are full focuses, sorry - Freeform, they're not full focuses of the fic though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-17 07:59:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5860663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_Pairing_Person/pseuds/Crazy_Pairing_Person
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternate universe, the pets are of a race that are half-human, half-animal. This race, including the pets, are treated with utmost disrespect by the full-blooded humans. There are very few who treat them kindly, one of those including Blythe Baxter. This story involves that universe merging with the canon-verse we all know and love. Read and watch as the half-pets are treated with respect for the first time as they enter the canon-verse, and as the two versions of Blythe uncover a prophecy that could bring the half-pets to a new age of equality among the humans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So you know those times where you sometimes think to yourself, 'I wonder how the canon characters would react to this AU?'
> 
> ...No? Just me? Well, anyway, I made a kind of AU and instead of actually writing for the AU itself I decided to write about the AU and canon mashing together... Magic is involved, yes... This chapter is gonna introduce you to the AU though, so readers can get a feel of how it works.

"Zoe, are you okay? Hold still, I've got you..." Blythe Baxter, full-bred human, helped her half-animal friend from the ground, giving a glare to the other humans who'd put her there in the first place. Zoe took the help gratefully, clinging to her savior like a lifeline.

"Thank you, Blythe," she murmured. The other humans had lost interest in her suffering, and had gone off to their own classes, reminding her that she'd need to get to her next period, as well. Zoe attempted to take a step and do just that, but a pain shot up her leg and she let out a cry, alerting Blythe that she was hurt.

"Oh my gosh! What's wrong?!" Blythe asked, panic clear in her voice. She saw how Zoe cradled her right leg, and noticed the bruise on her knee. She reached over, holding Zoe up and supporting her as she helped her to walk down the hall.

"Blythe, my class is the other way..."

"I'm taking you to the nurse, Zoe."

Others in the hall watched them. Other humans, like Blythe, looked upon them in disgust, occasional whispers reaching their ears about 'the disgraceful child' and 'that horrid half-beast'. There were also other half-animals, half-dogs such as Zoe, or half-cats, half-geckos, half-hedgehogs, or any other half-creature. Those looked at Blythe in wonder and amazement, and at Zoe in sympathy and pity.

They arrived at the nurse's office, but Zoe knew that she'd be of no help. She'd only ever known three humans in her life that cared about the half-breeds. Blythe Baxter, Blythe's father, and Mrs. Twombly. This nurse was none of them.

The nurse turned to look at them, frowning disapprovingly when she saw that Blythe was helping Zoe.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice cold as ice.

"Zoe's hurt her leg. Some other kids pushed her and-"

"Aren't you late for class?"

The nurse's eyes rested completely on Zoe as she cut off Blythe, indicating that she was speaking completely to her, regardless of any injury. Blythe glared at her.

"Yes, we both are. But as I was saying, she's been hurt. I think she needs-"

"She needs to get to class. If some kids pushed her, then they pushed her for a reason."

"She's _injured_! She needs _help_!"

But the nurse ignored Blythe's pleas, and turned back around to what she was doing. Blythe clenched her jaw, tears of anger welling up in her eyes. Seeing that the nurse would be no help, she and Zoe walked back into the hallway. The bell rang as they did, causing Zoe to flinch. Blythe wouldn't be in any trouble, so long as she got to her class before the second bell, but she'd be in for a lot of trouble if she didn't hurry. She attempted to disconnect herself from Blythe's grip, trying to ignore the pain in her leg as she started off to her class.

"Zoe, let me help you-"

"I'll be fine, Blythe. Don't worry."

Still, Blythe followed, disregarding the fact that her own class was in the opposite direction of Zoe's. Zoe felt a bit of happiness that came with having someone care about her wellbeing, so she didn't protest anymore.

"You want me to get your homework from your locker?" Blythe asked, and Zoe nodded pitifully. Blythe stopped in front of the wall of old lockers, the ones that were hard to get open that the school gave to the half-breeds. Zoe's was easy to find, since hers was covered in sparkly stickers and magnets, while the others were mostly bare. She opened her friend's locker, knowing all of her half-breed friends' combinations by heart, since this sort of thing happened often enough. She yanked the door open, with a bit of a struggle, and got out Zoe's homework and some extra pencils for her too.

She went back to walking alongside Zoe. At this point, the halls were pretty much empty, so it was just them. Zoe flinched again as the second bell went off, reminding her that now Blythe would be in trouble, too. They got to her class, and Blythe walked her in, getting her to her desk before going to explain to the teacher.

"Some kids pushed her, and her leg got hurt-"

"She's late, so she'll have detention," the teacher said simply, and he went back to his lesson, ignoring Blythe just as the nurse had. Blythe sighed in defeat, giving Zoe an apologetic look, though not sure if she saw from where she sat in the back of the room. She headed back out into the hallway, going to her next class.

* * *

At lunchtime, Blythe went through her normal routine of hiding her packed lunch in her backpack and buying large portions of the school lunch. The lunch ladies and teachers supervising the lunch period all knew what she did, but none of them had any means to prove it or get her in trouble for it. So she bought the food and walked over to the isolated corner in the back where all of her friends sat, nibbling on their stale bread and apples.

"Hi, guys. How are you all today?" she asked as she approached, their gazes brightening as they saw her.

"No worse than any other day," Pepper said with a light smile. Blythe returned the expression as she placed the tray down in the middle of the table. They all reached and grabbed for the food, the fresh salad, the warm buttered rolls, the fresh pizza and creamy chocolate pudding cups. Blythe felt her smile grow as they all ate, the food like a temporary paradise compared to what they normally received.

She brought out her own lunch, a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a juice box. Watching as they all savored each and every bite of what would be a normal meal for herself, though hers would not be in such large portions, it simply reminded her yet again how awfully they were treated. As if the normal, everyday occurrences where at least one of them would be physically harmed simply for being born as what they were wasn't enough of a reminder.

"How's your knee, Zoe?" she asked. Zoe swallowed the food in her mouth before speaking.

"I'm fine, honest. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Blythe nodded, though part of her didn't fully believe her friend. She turned to Pepper and Penny Ling, who sat to her right.

"Has detention been... Okay?" she asked, knowing how odd it sounded but feeling like it needed to be asked anyway. Penny Ling didn't respond, just looked at the food with wide eyes, and Pepper just shrugged dismissively.

"The Biskit twins only have one day left, so as long as that doesn't get extended, we should be fine for the week after that."

Blythe stared at them, her eyes wide, just picturing what the twins could do in that hour and a half when her friends were trapped with them. She felt grateful that she'd gotten detention herself earlier, so she could keep a watchful eye on them.

* * *

The final bell of the day rang, and Blythe gathered her books from her desk. She intended to put away her homework before going to the room where detention would be held. She knew that as a full human, she had the right to do her homework during that period, but if her friends weren't allowed to do it (for whatever odd reason, she mused) she wouldn't do it either.

She put away all her textbooks and papers into her locker, pulling out one single novel that she was reading before closing the metal door with a _clang_ , before turning and going towards room 665.

People moved all around her, humans politely moving out of her way and saying 'excuse me' to each other, then bumping into half-breeds and snapping at them not two seconds later. It caused a stone to drop in her stomach and bile to rise in her throat, but she held it back. As the people in the hallway thinned out, she spotted someone coming out of the bathroom ahead of her.

"Pepper? Is that you?"

The half-skunk's head whirled to face Blythe, not having seen her approach.

"Yeah, it's me. What's up, Blythe?" she asked, smiling and attempting to discreetly hide her arms behind her back. It didn't work.

"Pepper, what happened to your arms?" Blythe asked, her voice an odd mixture of suspicion and concern. Pepper just looked at the ground, and after a moment, held out her right arm.

Blythe's jaw dropped. Pepper's arm was _covered_ in bruises, fresh ones it seemed. She reached out to touch one, but yanked her hand back when Pepper gave a hiss of pain.

"I- How did this... _When?_ "

"Eh, it's fine! Not as bad as it could be, right?" Pepper said, giving Blythe a carefree smile as she dropped her arm back to her side. Blythe just stared at her with widened eyes, not understanding how Pepper could just be acting as if this was no big deal.

"Come on... We should get to detention," she said in a small voice, unable to be any louder. Pepper simply shrugged and started in the direction Blythe had been going. It took a moment but the human soon followed, her eyes never leaving the bruises on her friend's arms.


	2. Chapter 2

As Blythe and Pepper entered the room, the teacher immediately snapped at them to sit down. Blythe spotted Russell, Zoe and Penny Ling across the room, and went to sit with them, and Pepper followed quietly.

"How'd you get in trouble, Russell?" Blythe asked. Russell looked up from the book he was reading, one eyebrow raised.

"How do you think?" he asked bitterly.

"Caught reading again?" she asked with a bitter smile, and he nodded. She sighed in frustration. She couldn't see the logic in punishing the half-breeds just for reading fictional stories and non-school related books, but apparently the other humans could, since they did it often enough. One of the half-breeds they often punished was her dear friend Russell.

"What are you reading, now?" she asked, and he showed her the cover with a slight smile. It was the second book in a series she'd recommended to him, a series based in another world where half-breeds were the wealthy higher-class ones, instead of the humans.

"So you like it so far?"

"Yeah, it's really cool... Unique. Do you know any other books by the author?" he asked, and Blythe shook her head no. Russell simply shrugged and went back to reading. Blythe turned to her other friends, about to start a conversation with one of them, when the door opened and two girls walked in.

The Biskit twins.

"Hello girls, have a seat," the teacher said, being much more polite than he had been to Blythe and Pepper. Blythe fought back a growl as they approached, sitting near her and her friends. Pepper sunk low in her seat, as though she were trying to disappear.

"Ugh, is that _creature_ reading?!" Brittany exclaimed, referring to Russell and getting the attention of the teacher. Thinking quickly, Blythe grabbed the book from Russell's hands. The teacher looked at the group, and assumed that Brittany had been insulting Blythe before turning back to his desk and grading his papers.

"Sorry," Blythe whispered as she passed Russell his book back.

"No problem. He would've confiscated it if you hadn't, so thanks," he replied with a smile. The twins scowled at them.

"Why are you so _nice_ to them? They're _beasts_ ," Whittany snapped, looking at the half-animals with disgust. Zoe clenched her jaw, keeping her head low as she continued scribbling on a piece of paper. Pepper sunk even lower in her seat. Russell kept his eyes trained on his book, resolutely ignoring the twins. Penny Ling just stared silently out the window.

But Blythe, unlike her friends, would not let such an insult pass.

"I'm nice to them because, unlike _some_ people - including _you_ and most humans out there - they actually _deserve_ to be treated with respect."

The twins' jaws dropped, staring at Blythe in indignation.

"You did _not_ just say that to us!" they cried in unison. The teacher ignored it, as if anything that didn't involve a half-animal misbehaving wasn't worth his time.

"I did just say that! I won't let you say that sort of thing about my friends!" Blythe snapped back. The twins apparently decided that that wasn't even worth a response, and looked at Penny, who kept her gaze to the window.

"Geez, what's with _her_? You should stop feeding the animals, Blythe," Whittany said, snickering. Blythe clenched her fists.

"Leave my friends out of this. You hate me, remember? They've done nothing wrong to you," she said, her voice low and threatening. The twins just gave the group one last disgusted look before walking away and sitting across the room.

"Penny, are you okay?" Pepper asked softly, slowly sitting up. Penny Ling turned her gaze from the window to her desk, not meeting any of her friends' eyes.

"I'm fine."

Blythe switched seats to sit next to Penny, so she could lean over and give her the hug she clearly needed. Penny just put one hand on Blythe's arm, sniffling a little as she held back tears.

After a few moments, Blythe moved back to her own seat, and looked over at Zoe. Her head was bowed, her hair covering her face. Her pencil had stopped moving, and it seemed like she was about to snap it.

"Zoe? What are you writing?" Blythe asked, hoping to snap Zoe from her thought process. Whatever she was thinking of, it didn't seem pleasant. Zoe looked up, giving Blythe a hesitant smile.

"A song."

Blythe smiled encouragingly. She'd only heard Zoe sing a few times, but her voice was absolutely beautiful. She tried to look at the lyrics Zoe was writing, but the pink-haired girl covered it with her hands.

"It's going to be a surprise, darling."

"So you intend to actually sing it in public?"

"Not _in public_. Just for you and our friends," Zoe clarified. Blythe giggled, though she knew Zoe wasn't being shy. Zoe Trent was anything _but_ shy.

She just wouldn't get to sing in front of many people without being yelled or laughed at for being a half-breed.

"I look forward to hearing it," Blythe said, trying to stop herself from being anymore upset than she already was. Zoe gave her a wink before turning back to the paper in front of her. Now that Blythe was listening and watching, she could hear Zoe humming a few notes, ever so quietly.

The rest of detention passed in silence, the only sounds being the chirping birds outside, Russell turning pages every few minutes, and Zoe's quiet humming.


	3. Chapter 3

"Blythe, can I stay the night at your place?"

Vinnie's sudden question made Blythe pause in gathering her books from her locker. She was always hesitant to allow her friends to stay the night, fearing that they would poke around and find out... Certain things. But the look in Vinnie's eyes was far too familiar to her. "Fail another test?" she asked gently.

Vinnie nodded pitifully. "I really don't wanna go home right away."

Blythe sighed. "Sure. You know the rules, though."

"No looking in boxes or closets, don't touch your makeup, and asking questions about your family history is forbidden," Vinnie said, beaming. "Thanks, Blythe, you're the greatest!"

Blythe relaxed. She enjoyed giving some of her friends, the ones who needed it, some solace from their families, but she'd learned quickly that if she didn't set rules, they would have discovered something that she definitely preferred to keep hidden. Zoe had been the one to teach her that lesson, and after ensuring that she'd keep silent about the matter, she had made sure to set rules for every subsequent sleepover that happened after that.

"Let's go. The others should be waiting for us out front," she said. She put her books into her backpack, then slung it over one shoulder. The other went around Vinnie's shoulders, guiding him to make up for the lack of balance that came from his tail.

Most half-creatures found more balance due to their tails. Vinnie was one of the unfortunate few who found significantly less of it.

They managed to get outside, and Vinnie ducked out from under Blythe's hold to grab onto Sunil instead. The half-mongoose yelped, reflexively shoving Vinnie away for fear of him being a full-bred human. He spun around, only to see Vinnie keeled over, clutching his stomach. "Ugh... You been workin' out, Sunster?"

"V-Vinnie! I am so sorry!" Sunil gasped out, furtively checking over him to make sure he was okay.

Blythe shook her head, and Zoe smiled wryly. "He should be used to it. It happens daily," Zoe whispered to Blythe.

"Are you talking about Vinnie getting hit or Sunil getting tackled?"

"Why can't it be both?"

Once Vinnie had recovered from his assault from Sunil, the lot of them finally left the school grounds. They all always made sure to leave together - or at least, the half-animals made sure that Blythe was with them. Sometimes, Blythe would go back to the school on days where she didn't have detention, to make sure that her friends who did have it got to the daycare safely. Mrs. Twombly would always keep a good eye on them when she did that...

Luckily, though, today required no such thing.

"How did your painting grade in art class, Minka?"

"I got a C," Minka said, her smile far realer than it had any right to be. "That's the highest grade I've ever been given in that class! I must really be getting better!"

Blythe wanted to argue that Minka had always been amazing and she always deserved an A in that class, but she bit her tongue. Minka's spirit was too easily broken if she was let down, and if Blythe said that, she may realize just why she wasn't getting the right grades, and then she may  _cry._ Blythe wanted no part in making Minka cry.

"I bet you'll be getting a B soon enough," she said instead, and it got Minka smiling like the sunshine itself was her soul.

They arrived at the daycare, and Mrs. Twombly looked up, a welcoming smile stretching across her face. "Hello, kids. Is anyone planning to stay with Blythe tonight?" she asked. "You know I'll need to call ahead if you are..."

"I am," Vinnie spoke up.

"Another failed test, Vinnie?" Penny asked, a pitying look in her eyes. Vinnie nodded.

"You've gotta let me tutor you, Vin," Russell said, approaching the old, ratty bookshelf at the back wall and searching for the next book in his series. "Mrs. Twombly, you want me scrounge up some more money for some books?"

"Have you already read all of the ones we have?"

"Just about, yeah," Russell said. He found the book he was searching for and plucked it off of the shelf.

Mrs. Twombly sighed. "Get the money to me when you can and I'll order all the books you want. But your parents told me to tell you to stop reading at school, so I can't let you take them home anymore. I know you'd bring them back, but if you keep getting caught..."

They'd blame her. Russell nodded in understanding. "Sure, no problem, I don't mind reading here." He tucked his book under his arm, and went to the back area where he tended to spend most of his time anyway.

Mrs. Twombly picked up the phone, and called up Vinnie's family. Ever since Blythe had moved in upstairs, it was commonplace for the half-animals to ask to stay with her, and their families usually had no problems as long as they got called before they came to pick them up.

That reminded Blythe to text her father. He'd want to know to bring home an extra meal after work. She pulled out her phone, glancing from the corner of her eye to see Sunil sitting down in front of the television set with Zoe. She spotted a very well-known actor on the screen - Shahrukh.

The half-mongoose was one of few half-animals that was taken seriously in the world, on par with that of any full-bred human. Many half-animals, including her friends, idolized him for that reason alone.

Texting her father done, Blythe started to join Sunil and Zoe. Pepper, Penny Ling and Minka soon followed, with Vinnie going into the back room instead to concentrate on studying. He clearly knew he couldn't rely on sleepovers with Blythe forever...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still planning to have the whole 'them coming into the canon world' thing happen. In case you didn't realize. I'm just doing a bit of worldbuilding before I do that.

Blythe pushed all of the meatballs to the side of her plate, having no interest in eating something that could be indirectly related to one of her classmates. Her father and Vinnie had no qualms with it - her father always said that the animals who weren't half-human, the ones who hadn't been granted the evolution that so many others had been granted, were fine to eat. And while many half-animals may have agreed with that, it still made Blythe sick to her stomach to even think of eating meat or fish.

"Want me to take those meatballs, Blythe-y?" her father offered her. Blythe rolled her eyes, and nodded. She let him take the meatballs, and then continued eating her spaghetti.

"What test did you fail, Vinnie?" she asked, looking over to her friend. He'd been picking at his food, clearly nervous about how his parents would react to him failing another test.

"Math," Vinnie said with a sigh. "It's  _always_ math, Blythe."

"No, one time it was science," Blythe said, hoping Vinnie would smile at her joke. But it, unfortunately, only made Vinnie sink down low in his seat. Blythe bit her lip, staring down at her plate. "Tonight, I'll check over your homework. That way at least you might get an A on that tomorrow, and..."

"And my parents won't be as mad?"

"Yeah."

Vinnie gave her a wry smile. "Sounds good. But maybe just aim for a high C - they'll know you helped if I get anything higher."

Blythe nodded in understanding. "Sure. Whatever you want, Vin."

That settled, Blythe looked over at her father. "How was work today, Dad?"

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair, with mostly her father talking about his day once Vinnie's homework situation had been settled. He knew that her friends never liked talking about what happened at school, so he often dominated the conversation to make sure that they wouldn't have to force themselves.

Once dinner was over, Blythe led Vinnie to her room - though it was unnecessary, since he, and Zoe, were the ones who spent the most nights at Blythe's. Vinnie did so to avoid seeing his parents after a failed grade, but Zoe did so usually just because she wanted to.

"Let me get out the sleeping bag and your pajamas," Blythe said. Vinnie, and every other one of her half-animal friends, all left a set of pajamas at her place since it was rare for her to not have at least one of them sleeping over. It made things simpler, since they wouldn't have to stop at their own places at any point.

Blythe pulled out Vinnie's set of pajamas from her dresser, and tossed them haphazardly on the bed. Then she went to her closet, and pulled out the worn-out brown sleeping bag. "We might have to get a new one," she noted as she laid it out on the ground. "It's been seeing a lot of use lately."

"More than it did at your old town?" Vinnie asked, before freezing.

No one had ever brought up Blythe's old town - considering it to be in the same category as 'family history'. Clearly, he was worried that Blythe would toss him out, just by the fearful look on his face.

Still, Blythe only smiled. "Yeah," she said. "I don't think you know much about when I lived there, huh? It was a quiet little place, but..."

But the half-animals there were treated with respect, because she and her father (and mother, when she was alive) were the only humans who lived in that town. Perhaps that was why she was so nice to them in Downtown City - she'd grown up around nothing but half-animals. Her father and mother had encouraged her kindness towards them, so that probably had something to do with it as well.

She shook that thought from her head. "You'd love it," she said instead.

"You think? I'm more of a big city guy, actually," Vinnie said. "Though if people in your old hometown were... Nicer..."

He trailed off. Blythe didn't continue the thought and simply changed the subject, "Hand me your homework."

Vinnie nodded, pulling the crumpled up paper out of his back pocket and passing it over to her. Blythe took it with a gentle smile, and stood up to sit at her desk. She grabbed one of her pencils and, doing her best imitation of Vinnie's handwriting, marked in the correct answers to some of the questions. Only some - she took into account his request of only getting a high C.

While Blythe worked on his homework, Vinnie went to work making himself useful - he didn't want to be a burden on Blythe. He hummed to himself as he picked up Blythe's clothing that was strewn all over her room, and put it all in her hamper. Once that was done, he looked around restlessly, nervously. "Blythe? Got anything you need done?"

"Vinnie, don't worry. Just dance or something - you love dancing. I don't mind doing this for you and you know I don't."

Vinnie forced a smile. "Yeah, I know. But..."

"Anyway, I just finished," Blythe said, holding up the wrinkly paper. "Here. Want me to dance with you?"

Vinnie visibly relaxed, and nodded. "Sure," he said, taking the paper from her and shoving it back into his pocket. "Sounds great."

Blythe beamed, and turned on her stereo to one of Vinnie's favorite station. He let out a bright laugh, and gave an excited spin - only to trip over his own tail. Blythe covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. She stood up and helped Vinnie to stand, a grin slowly stretching over her face. "Sorry," she said, "but you know that you trip whenever you spin. You should, anyway."

Vinnie gave a somewhat awkward laugh, releasing Blythe's hand to shyly rub his neck. "Yeah, I guess I should, huh?"

"Well, I'm sure you'll eventually be able to do it without tripping," Blythe said quickly. "Practice makes perfect, right?"

"Yeah..."

Blythe giggled. "Here," she said, reaching for Vinnie's hand. She lifted it up, spinning him, and getting a laugh to come from his mouth. He returned the favor, twirling her around. She giggled brightly, her eyes twinkling happily.

The two danced and twirled around her room, laughing the whole while. At some point Blythe heard their door slam - her father was leaving for a busy night of flying around the world.

A while after she heard the door slam, she finally stopped dancing, though Vinnie kept on. "I'm gonna go change into my pajamas," she said, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the music. Vinnie winked and did finger guns, then continued dancing around. Blythe giggled, and got out her purple tank top and white and purple polka-dotted pants, then headed to the bathroom down the hall.

As she got dressed into her pajamas, she noticed in the mirror that the makeup on her birthmark, the birthmark on her right shoulder, was smudged. Just enough to show that she had a birthmark, though not enough to show the actual shape of it. Blythe reached for the hand towel, and wiped off the remainder of the makeup. Then, with the easy movements of one who'd done it hundreds of times, put on foundation and blush over the mark.

She sighed in relief once she felt confident that Vinnie wouldn't see it, and left the bathroom. "Hey, Vinnie, wanna bake brown... ies..."

She stared at Vinnie, who'd fallen on the ground, and was rubbing his head in pain. She knelt down, gently lifting him up. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just fell a little harder than usual." He glanced away. "Don't be mad, but I saw a couple of boxes under your bed..."

Blythe tensed. "You didn't look in them, did you?"

"No, no, of course not."

"Good," Blythe said, sighing in relief. "Come on. Brownies?"

"Uh, yeah. Brownies."

* * *

"Okay, I think the cocoa powder is up above the stove. I'll get it," Blythe said, moving a chair so that she could stand on it and reach the cupboard. "Can you get the milk from the fridge?"

"Sure," Vinnie said, going for the fridge. "Need anything else out of here?"

"No, I don't think so..."

They moved around the kitchen, getting the bowl and whisk and flour and all of the other things they needed. As Blythe was about to go get her phone so she could look up the temperature that the oven should be, Vinnie hesitantly placed a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"Blythe, can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Sure. What is it?"

Vinnie hesitated. "What... Are you hiding? From me, from everyone... What are you hiding from us?"

Blythe froze. She looked to the side, staring at a spot on the wall. She didn't know how to respond to that. "If I tell you, you'll... See me differently. You'll act weird about it and I don't want that. I want things to be normal. To  _stay_ normal."

"Blythe, what is it? It can't be that bad."

She felt tears welling up in her eyes. No, this wasn't bad. Vinnie would consider it amazing if he knew. But if he knew, he might tell people. She already had so much pressure on her from her dad, from Zoe, just knowing that they knew, that they expected her to follow through on the prophecy...

She couldn't have more people knowing. She couldn't. It was too much.

"I'm gonna go get my phone and look up the temperature for the brownies," she mumbled. "Can you start mixing the ingredients?"

Vinnie hesitated, then sighed, dropping his hand from her arm and back to his side. "Sure."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Blythe sighed softly to herself, knees drawn up to her chest. She glanced off to the side, looking at a peacefully sleeping Vinnie. She was surprised he'd managed to sleep with how many brownies they'd eaten...

Though, sugar rush wasn't the reason that she was awake.

She didn't want her makeup to rub off in her sleep. It was how Zoe had found out her secret - it was how she had found out about her birthmark. Ever since then, Blythe found it way too hard to get any rest when her friends stayed the night - unless it was Zoe, and Zoe alone. She already knew, after all, so there was no need to be careful with her.

Blythe sighed again. She had to do something. She slowly got out of her bed, careful to make sure that she didn't make too much noise. She knelt down on her knees, and pulled out a box from under her bed.

Not wanting to look through it while in the same room as Vinnie, she left and headed to the kitchen, closing the bedroom door behind herself as quietly as she could.

She turned on the light, and sat down at the kitchen table. She picked out the first thing in the box - an old, worn-out key. It looked like a typical key you'd see on TV - an inch or two long, with two prongs at one end and a circle at the other. Though, the circle had a paw shape in the middle. The gold paint was almost worn off, and one could easily see the wooden base.

Then, she pulled out a piece of paper, a letter from one of her ancestors.

"If you are reading this," she whispered, reading from the paper, "then you are the one. You are the prophesied savior of the half-animal kind. You will bring them to a new age of equality using this key and the magical music box."

The music box. The music box her mother had given her. But Blythe was too scared to even open it. Her heart leapt into her throat and her stomach went into knots at just the thought.

"Know that this will not be as easy as simply opening the box," Blythe continued. "You won't be able to do it alone, either. You will need to gather followers before the age of equality can truly begin. But when you do, when you start this new age, your work will be done. It won't be easy to get there, but it will be at the same time, because you will not be alone."

Blythe twirled the key between her finger. It would not be as easy as simply opening the box. But if that was the first step, was she being selfish in not taking it?

She pulled out the final thing in the box. The music box. She ran her fingers over the golden paws that went all over the wooden box, then poked shyly at the lock on the front.

She took a deep breath, stuck in the key, and turned it. She heard a click, and opened the top. She heard sweet, twinkly music fill the air. Her eyelids felt heavy, and...

She fell forward, completely knocked out before she could even try to stop it.

Unbeknownst to her, every other person, every half-animal in the world, was knocked out at the same time.

* * *

"Blythe! Blythe, wake up! Something's going on!"

Blythe groaned, hearing Vinnie's voice in her ear. She sat up, wiping drool from her mouth. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Before she had a chance to properly wake up, though, Vinnie grabbed her arm and roughly yanked her from her chair. He pulled her down the hall and to her bedroom, and shoved her inside.

There was another Blythe, staring at them with wide eyes.

"I knew she wasn't you cause she asked what was wrong with me and who I was and why I had scales on my arms and cheeks," Vinnie explained in a rush. "I'm just lucky you were out there!"

"Uh, yeah..." Blythe mumbled, though she couldn't find anything else to say, just staring at... Herself... In shock.

"What's going on?" the other Blythe asked. "Who is he? Who are you?"

"Well, uh, second question first," Blythe began, "I'm Blythe Baxter, and... Probably another version of you. And his name is Vinnie Terrio-"

"What the  _what_?" The other Blythe stared at Vinnie with renewed shock, then simply muttered to herself, "Well, guess that explains the scales..."

Blythe and Vinnie looked at each other in confusion, then back to the other Blythe.

"I'll show you after I get dressed. You, too, uh... Me."

* * *

Once the two Blythes were dressed - though Vinnie wasn't - the 'other' Blythe led the Vinnie and Blythe downstairs and to the daycare. What - or rather, who - was there utterly shocked them.

Their friends... And actual, full-blooded animals. Many full-blooded animals were so rare to see - dogs and cats, monkeys, hedgehogs, to name a few - and there they were, all together.

"Blythe!" their friends all said, rushing over, but then they all stopped and looked between the two Blythes nervously.

"This is our Blythe," Vinnie said, pointing at her. "The other one got weirded out by my scales."

"They are pretty weird, dude," the gecko commented. This came as no shock to anyone - they were all partially animal, after all, except for Blythe. Still, neither Blythes seemed to consider it odd that they could understand what the gecko said.

"Not where I come from, they're not," Vinnie said, holding his head high. But he paused, hesitating. "Well, uh... I guess they're not."

The animals, the full-blooded animals all looked at each other in confusion, but shrugged it off.

"Guys," the other Blythe said, "this is-"

"Vinnie?" the purple dog said. "As you can see, many of us seem to have... Human-y, animal-y counterparts as well, darling. It stands to reason that the one with scales would be Vinnie's."

"Though why yours is entirely human is a bit confusing... If ours are part human, shouldn't yours be part animal?" the hedgehog asked.

The other Blythe looked at her, eyeing her carefully. "Yeah, I mean, in a way I guess that makes some kind of sense."

Blythe only shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm completely human."

"Huh," other Blythe said, tilting her head slightly. "Weird."

"I do not think that that is the weird part of all of this," Sunil said, glancing off to the side. In his lap sat his fully mongoose counterpart, who was trembling almost as much as he was. "Should we not be concerned that we have managed to... To meet alternate versions of ourselves?"

"Yes!" the full mongoose said before anyone else could reply. "We should! I agree, we should be very concerned!"

"Sunil," the gecko said, "calm down. Both Sunils, actually, calm down. If we should be concerned, then how come Blythe isn't freaking out?"

Everyone looked up at both Blythes, as if making certain that neither of them was panicking. The two looked at each other, and shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I'm just concerned about how we'll all refer to each other if half of us have the same names."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you all they would merge with canon. Told. You.


	6. Chapter 6

It was soon settled that those who came from the world of the half-animals would be known by their last names. Baxter, Trent, Clark, etcetera. Meanwhile, the others got to be known by their first names - Blythe, Zoe, Pepper, etcetera.

Once it was settled, they started to get to know each other. They would likely be spending lots of time together, at least until they could all get situated back into their own universes. It made sense to learn the finer differences between themselves.

"So, can we hear about Blythe first?" Russell asked. "Er, I mean... Baxter? We don't know much about Blythe's life from before she came here, and this seems like an excellent chance-"

"We're not allowed to talk about Baxter's life from before," Ferguson interrupted him. "She doesn't like talking about her family history... For some reason. We find it's best to respect it."

Blythe looked to Baxter in confusion, and Baxter nodded solemnly. "There are just some things I'd rather not discuss."

All of the full-bred animals looked at each other in confusion, but shrugged it off. "Alright," Zoe said, "then how about some romantic gossip? Any dates?"

"Zoe," Blythe scolded gently, "that's not really-"

"You want the list of past relationships in alphabetical or chronological order?" Ferguson deadpanned.

"Um," Zoe said, "chronological?"

"Do you want me to only list the relationships entirely within our friend group or ones outside it as well?"

"Well, uh... Wh-what do you mean?"

"Despite our... Social status among most humans," Ferguson said, "many half-animals do date, believe it or not. It's just extremely rare-"

"-Almost nonexistant-" Clark put in.

"-for a half-animal to date a full human. Trent, especially, dates a lot. She's been single for an entire week - a new record since she started high school, I believe."

"I... See..." Zoe said slowly. "How... How many relationships would we have to sit through if we listened to the ones outside of the friend group?"

"We'll see when we finish, won't we?"

"Just within the friend group, then," Blythe said quickly, before Zoe could speak.

Ferguson nodded. "Let's see... First there was Trent and Clark back in their first year of high school. It lasted for about a month before they decided to remain friends. After that there was... Mm, I think after them came Mark and Nevla?"

"Yeah, that's right," Mark said, stroking her full-monkey self's head. "'Course Zoe - oops, I mean Trent - had a boyfriend while me and Nevla got together but he wasn't in our friend group."

"That's right," Ferguson said. "Let's see... Mark and Nevla lasted, what, two weeks?"

"Two and a  _half_ weeks," Nevla said.

"Right. Okay, after them was... Terrio and Mark?"

"No, Terrio dated Trent before he dated Mark. I remember because he and Trent were still in the awkward phase of breakup when I transferred to school," Baxter said.

"Ah, right, thank you," Ferguson said with another nod. "Well, uh, shortly after Terrio and Mark broke up - one month and three weeks after they started dating... Me and, um..." He cleared his throat, a blush coming to his cheeks. "Me and Baxter started dating. Lasted about two weeks. Got awkward. Decided to just stay friends."

"He doesn't like talking about his past relationships. Especially not ours," Baxter whispered to Blythe with a slight giggle in her voice. Blythe nodded in understanding.

"So, uh, anyway, after me and Baxter, it was... I think Baxter and Terrio. Then Terrio and Ling after that - they lasted for the longest time, had a strong relationship for three months before finally figuring out that all they had in common was dancing. Don't know how they survived that long on that little..."

"Thanks," Ling said dryly.

"I mean, it's fine for a friendship," Ferguson said quickly, "but not so much for dating."

"Should I be concerned that you dated them?" Blythe whispered to Baxter.

"Do you want to be?" Baxter countered. "Seems like a lot of worry over something small like that."

"...Yeah, that's true. Never mind."

Ferguson continued, "After them, it was Ling and Trent - Trent had been dating a bunch of other guys and girls, by the way, just not within our friend group." Everyone nodded in understanding. Ferguson thought for a moment, then said, "The most recent one, aside from Trent's other boyfriends and girlfriends, was Baxter and Clark. Lasted for two weeks. Ended about... Four months ago?"

Blythe blinked, and looked to Baxter. "You like girls?"

Baxter shrugged. "Sure. You don't?"

Blythe opened her mouth, thought for a moment, then slowly shut it. "I'm not sure anymore..."

Baxter shrugged. "Fair enough. Clark was the first girl I've ever dated - I mean, if we didn't work better as friends I'd have liked to stay with her."

"I feel so loved," Clark said, pretending to wipe away a tear. Everyone giggled, and Pepper pouted slightly.

"Aw, that gets a laugh out of you guys? Really?"

The only response she got was everyone laughing again. Pepper scoffed, and curled up in Clark's lap. "Wasn't that funny."

"Well, romance and jokes aside," Blythe said, standing up, "I need to get to school. So, what should we..."

"Should I stay here?" Baxter said. "Wait, no, are the others staying? If they are, I'm staying with them."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ferguson asked. "We don't mind having a day off, but you've really got no excuse..."

"Other than the fact that I technically don't go to this world's school."

"Fair..." Ferguson said, trailing off a little. "Okay. We should stay here, then, I guess."

Blythe shrugged. "See you guys later, then." She stood and left the shop, leaving the pets in the care of their alternate selves.


	7. Chapter 7

At school, Blythe waited by her locker for her friends. She didn't think she'd tell anyone except Youngmee about what had happened that morning, but she still looked forward to telling her.

Only, when her friends finally showed up, they weren't alone.

"You guys, too?" Blythe said, gaping at her friends' other selves.

"Too?" Youngmee said, confused. "I don't see your other self..."

"She stayed back at the shop with the pets. Figured this wasn't her school, so..."

Youngmee's other self - who would be Song, based on the system Blythe had worked out with the pets - rolled her eyes. "I'm glad we don't have to see that freak today, then."

Blythe blinked. "What the what?"

Jones - Jasper's other self - sighed in annoyance. "Oh, so you don't know, huh? She's actually friends with those half-animal weirdos. She's a disgrace to humankind."

Blythe faltered. While she was trying to get over her shock, Patterson said, "Yeah. I'm with you guys - I'm glad we don't have to see her today."

Jasper, Youngmee, and Sue all simply stared in shock, unable to process what had just been said.

* * *

Russell hummed to himself, examining what everyone was doing. Due to their half-human other selves showing up, the daycamp was much more crowded than it usually would be. And crowded meant messy... He groaned, rubbing his head, already tired and annoyed-

"Hey, Russell?" Ferguson said. "You guys got any books?"

"Books?" Russell repeated. "Sure." He went to his bed, and reached underneath - he kept his books there to hide it from the daily chaos. "I have two! One about physics and one about-"

"I... Prefer fiction," Ferguson mumbled. "Thanks anyway. I wish I had my favorite book series with me..."

Russell plopped his bed back down, and looked up at Ferguson. "What's your favorite series about?"

"Oh... It's kind of a... Role-reversal between half-animals and humans."

Russell tilted his head. "Role-reversal?" He tried to imagine humans being pets for a moment, before realizing that there was no way that that was what Ferguson meant...

Though if it was...

"Um, what exactly do you mean?" Russell asked, wanting to make sure.

Ferguson hesitated. "I guess you wouldn't know," he said. "You're probably treated really well compared to us... Never mind, forget what I said."

Russell frowned. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak...

CRASH!

He spun around with wide eyes. "What happened?!"

"I was trying to teach Mark how to hang by her tail!" Minka said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good!" Mark said, holding up a thumbs-up. "A little headache, but it's okay!"

"Yes, because I broke your fall!" Nevla cried out from underneath her. "Get off!"

"Ah! Sorry, Nevla!"

Russell sighed. He turned back to Ferguson... Only to see that he'd walked away.

"Huh... Weird..."


End file.
